I would be remiss with Veterans Day this past Friday if I did not thank the men and women who have served our country bravely. We highlighted four of our female student-athletes, Sophia Gulotti, McKenna Burkhardt and Taylor Grollman and Juliane Cherry who are cadets in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at Temple University. TEMPLE MADE!!

Also, a shoutout to U.S. Air Force veteran Tyshawn Jenkins, who spoke to our men’s basketball team and will travel with the squad to Brooklyn for our games in the Empire Classic. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!!!

Congrats to our student-athletes and the staff of the Resnick Center led by Tara Evans on setting a record with a 95 percent Graduation Success Rate, eclipsing the previous mark of 93 set last year. It marks the eighth straight year of an overall GSR of 85 or greater.

Our overall GSR number is tied for ninth among all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools and tied for first among American Athletic Conference schools.

The big story of the fall was our tennis duo of Jamie Wei and Maiko Uchijima, who won the ITA Super Regional and advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA National Championship in San Diego. They finished the fall with an incredible 10-1 record.

Field Hockey ended its season with a heartbreaking 4-3 shootout loss at #1-seed Old Dominion on Nov. 4. Congrats to our Owls on a tremendous season, finishing at 13-6 overall, the most wins since 2014, and ranked #23 in the nation.

Football had a heart-breaking 43-36 decision at Houston in the final minute of the game. Freshman quarterback E.J. Warner continued to shine, setting a school-record 486 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country competed at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals on Nov. 11. The men placed 10th of 26 teams with Erik Kain (37th out of 180) leading the way. The women did not compete as a team due to injuries, but Laura Nicholson was the Owls top finisher at 26th.

Women’s Rowing ended its competitive fall season at the Princeton Chase.

Volleyball split a pair of road games, picking up their 10th win of the season at Memphis.

Men’s Soccer ended its season with a loss to Charlotte and the head coach Brian Rowland’s contract was not renewed.

Fencing, ranked 11th in the preseason poll, had a successful meet at the Garret Open hosted by Penn State with four fencers placing in the Top-8. Anne-Mai Melles (epee) and Eva Ventura (sabre) had team-leading performances, both tying for third in their respective weapons.

It was another good week following our NFL Owls. Chris Myarick (2016-18), Quincy Roche (2016-19), and the New York Giants got back on track this week, defeating the Houston Texans, 24-16. Dion Dawkins (2013-16), Tyler Matakevich (2012-15), and the Buffalo Bills had a tough overtime loss against the 8-1 Minnesota Vikings, in what has been called the NFL’s Game of the Year. Dawkins and the Bills offense scored 30 points, accrued over 480 total yards, and had over 30 minutes of possession, but it wasn’t enough as the final score was 33-30.

I am pleased to announce that Temple Athletics partnered with Stars of Honor to reward local elementary school children with tickets to the Temple Football vs. USF game on November 5. Nearly 100 students from more than 15 elementary schools in the Philadelphia area were represented in the stands. Additional students will be recognized at the home football game on 11/19, as well as at upcoming Men's and Women's Basketball games during the season.

To participate, schools can contact Trevor Taylor at: trevor@starsofhonor.com

In his investiture, President Wingard laid out his strategic plan for Temple University. In this plan are these strategic initiatives - boundless access, educational value, thought leadership, community engagement and reputational excellence. Athletics, like the entire University community, is committed to this plan. To read more click here.

Special thank you to Vice President for Public Safety Dr. Jennifer Griffin and Nicola Mammes, Temple’s Director of Emergency Management who spoke at our last coaches meeting to review good safety measures for our teams and student-athletes. It was very educational and a proactive approach to ensuring the safety of all student-athletes.

Please come out and continue to support all our Temple Athletics teams. Below is a link to our composite schedule.

In closing, my heart goes out to the entire University of Virginia community and the families of the three young football players who were killed in the tragic shooting Sunday. I cannot imagine the pain they are going through in this senseless act of violence that sent shockwaves throughout college athletics, as well as the entire nation.

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